The Save Mart Companies to roll out in-store retail media network

Dive Brief:

The Save Mart Companies plans to roll out In-Store Connect, an in-store retail media network powered by Quad/Graphics, Inc., according to a Monday announcement.
To start, 16 of the grocery company’s stores will have digital screens, kiosks, end caps, shelf screens and vertical banners throughout, allowing CPG partners to showcase promotions, product information and recommendations to shoppers. The program will eventually roll out to all of The Save Mart Companies’ approximately 200 stores.
This is Save Mart’s latest retail media effort, coming almost a year after the launch of its own retail media network.

Dive Insight:

The Save Mart Companies’ three banners, Lucky, Save Mart and FoodMaxx, will all house the in-store technology with the initial rollout primarily happening in California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay area before rolling out chainwide, according to a spokesperson for The Save Mart Companies.

Neither The Save Mart Companies nor Quad/Graphics disclosed how long the initial test period would last.“It’s an exciting new way to attract shoppers’ attention with motion and color while still being a relatively easy way for our vendor partners to participate,” the spokesperson added.

Quad will work closely with the grocer’s vendor partners to create and deliver real-time promotions and product insight as customers shop while also integrating with The Save Mart Companies’ existing in-store platform, according to the announcement.

“Physical stores continue to account for the vast majority of retail sales, especially for grocers,” Kevin Bridgewater, Quad’s senior vice president of retail initiatives, said in a statement, adding that in-store retail media bridges physical and digital consumer connections.

The Save Mart Companies launched its retail media network in conjunction with retail technology company Swiftly in May 2023 and said at the time it was also considering adding smart carts and additional in-store video screens.

Industry experts anticipate in-store retail media taking off throughout 2024 just as retail media networks dominated the industry throughout 2022 and 2023. With in-store shopping back in full swing, more grocers are finding ways to integrate digital media into their stores.

Wakefern announced last year it had added nearly 100 sampling kiosks to its stores. Last May, Kroger announced it was adding digital smart screens powered by Cooler Screens to 500 of its locations across the U.S.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the number of stores The Save Mart Companies operates. The grocer has nearly 200 stores.